India is not a land for fast bowlers. If we go through history, all of the bowlers were medium pacers, with quite a few who can be termed in the local language as military medium. Prior to the introduction of Kapil Dev, India did not even have a single fast bowler worth the title. Gavaskar once said that whenever India was up against Pakistan, the Pakistan batsmen would never wear a helmet because the Indian bowlers lacked pace. It was only after Kapil Dev made his debut, did they wore a helmet. Such was the paucity of fast bowlers on this land. It is another story that Kapil Dev too, became a medium pacer probably to have a long career. He cannot be faulted because sportspeople do not know anything else apart from the game they are playing. Navdeep Saini and pace. Why am I saying this?
Saini belongs to the rare breed of an Indian fast bowler. High on pace and with the ability to hurry the batsmen. India desperately needs such bowlers against whom the opposition batsmen will be wary to come forward because they will know that Saini can bounce at a good pace. They are naturally, worried about getting hit. However, Saini has lacked line, length and direction. High pace is good but if it is not directed well, pace becomes the enemy. The ball comes off the bat quite quickly and it is usually tough for the fielders to stop the ball. When the batsman times it well, with pace for support, the ball is sure to reach the boundary.
Pace alone is not enough
Line and length have been Saini’s problem. Yes, it is tough for someone who bowls at 150KMPH to consistently bowl on the same line and length. Usually, when these types of bowlers get it right, it is a treat to watch. It will either result in a wicket or end up being a dot ball. However, when they get it wrong, they will dispatched to all parts of the ground. Let us remember the example of Shaun Tait. Tait is someone who relied purely on pace. He bowled at 155-160KMPH whenever he came onto bowl. Seldom has he got the line and length correct.
As a result, he was driven to all parts of the ground. Back in 2004, he was brought into the Australian side for a Test at Perth to threaten India with pace. Needless to say, India played him beautifully and Tait found himself out of the team forever.
The bottomline is that pace is great but it must be supported by good direction. This is the reason most of the pure fast bowlers reduce their pace to around the 140 mark, one, to extend their career and two, to ensure better direction, three, to ensure allow the ball to do just that much and four, they can remain relatively injury free.
Saini and pace
Why am I saying all this and what is the connection between bowler’s ling and length and Saini? Saini, who is playing for Delhi in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, has said that pace is his identify and he does not want to sacrifice any bit of it.
“I can’t reduce my pace, which is my strength. I don’t want to sacrifice any bit of it; pace, after all, is my identity and I have always played cricket the same way, and intend to continue playing like that. The competition is so tight these days that I will never want to reduce my pace, something which is unique to me. It is [up to] my quality if I can continuously bowl at that pace for four or five days in a row.”
Wrapping up Navdeep Saini and pace
I am with Saini. I am really happy that he does not want to reduce his pace. Pace in the Indian cricketing scenario, is quite rare. However, Saini must also ensure that his line and length is good enough at the highest level. He will have to retrospect the reason he was jettisoned from the team within a few games. How will he be able to comeback? What changes does he have to make in his bowling that will force the selectors to choose him? He will do well to ponder such questions. He got a wonderful opportunity in Australia that he was unable to make use of. At Sydney where he made his debut, it was uneventful though he returned with 4 wickets whereas at Brisbane, he went off with an injury.
“Bowling fast helps you create more opportunities to get a wicket,” he said. “That makes you put in a lot more effort on your body. That, in turn, makes you injury prone. So you never know how or when you can get injured while trying to bowl at such high pace.”
Saini must understand that he is nearing the end of his career. At 31, he has already wasted a significant part of his career. Competition is heating up for fast bowlers. If he does not want to miss, he will have to start introspection rightaway.
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